1. Audible is currently making many good children’s books available for kids of all ages (early readers through teens), for free. Just click on “Start listening” at this link, then choose the book you want, and you can access it.
2. The Cloud Library of ebooks is available to any library patron in the state. For our library patrons, you can sign up using the 4-digit number in the upper corner of your library card, as a member of the Dr. Shaw Memorial Library. Our friends at Rockport Library made this tutorial to get you started on various devices.
3. Maine CDC is keeping track of the COVID-19 virus here in Maine, you can see their latest information here.
4. Open Culture provides free access to many educational and cultural resources — audiobooks, great lectures, art, language lessons, courses, audiobooks, and much more.
5. PBS Learning Media provides so many educational videos on a wide range of subjects, and can be filtered according to age level.
6. The Gutenberg Project has been around for a while. They make ebooks of classic, well-known works of literature, both fiction & nonfiction, available free of charge.
7. The Maine state Warmline (and other resources for mental health) is a good resource. It is a peer to peer support phoneline to access when needed. It is not an emergency line, for that, please call the Hotline.
8. Natural Resources Council of Maine has listed various distance learning resources for kids to engage in investigating the natural world around them, all based in Maine.
9. The National Digital Equity Center provides communities with the expertise needed to mobilize broadband technologies through digital inclusion, literacy efforts, education, resource planning, funding research, infrastructure leveraging and stakeholder engagement. People of all ages can use this site to learn how to explore current technology.
10. Connect Me is a nonprofit group out of Michigan that offers tutoring for students, grades K-8, provided by high school and some college students. The service is free to students of low income families, children of essential workers, or students attending virtual school due to COVID. Subjects include math, science, reading, and writing. All tutoring happens on Zoom, and the tutors are good at making online connections. Keep them in mind for the school year, as an extra resource. 11. State of Maine Native Studies Resources for young students can be found here: https://www.maine.gov/doe/learning/content/socialstudies/resources/mainenativestudies/resources
Free Online Legal Resources in Maine
Help Me Law lets you search for various legal topics and can connect you with legal help in the state: https://helpmelaw.org/
At Free Legal Answers, you can connect with volunteer lawyers who will help with civil legal issues: https://maine.freelegalanswers.org/
Social Security help:
You can find some good information about Social Security on this site: https://www.caring.com/caregivers/social-security/
Citing Sources
Purdue OWL Citation Generator Teachers at Maranacook Community High School encourage their students to use this tool to help them put together their bibliographic citations for their research papers. It will generate citations in MLA, APA, or Chicago formats.
EasyBib – This tool will also generate citations in MLA, APA or Chicago formats for your bibliography.
Basic Research
Digital Maine Library provides every resident of Maine with access to a collection of full text articles and abstracts from magazines, newspapers, journals and reference books that are credible, reputable resources. It also provides students, business people, public library patrons, and higher education students and educators the ability to search a number of resources at one time for information. Go to “Getting Started” to create a log-in name.
Digital Maine Repository
Put together by Maine State Library and the Maine State Archives, this site provides access to digitized Maine newspapers, government documents, and historical community archives.
Genealogy
FamilySearch – Free access to million of records, also offering the ability to create charts and download original records. A service provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
TheUSGenWeb Project – Welcome to The USGenWeb Project! This site involves a group of volunteers working together to provide free genealogy websites for genealogical research in every county and every state of the United States. This Project is non-commercial and fully committed to free genealogy access for everyone. It provides help on getting started with genealogy and many useful tips.
Family History Daily – Looking for a list of free genealogy sites to search? Here are 50 no-cost family history resources where you will find birth, marriage and death records, obituaries, cemetery listings, newspaper articles, biographies, research tips and so much more.
FamilyTree Magazine’s 25 Best Genealogy Sites for beginners – These websites “offer plenty of “driver’s education”: site tutorials, easy-to-use tools and powerful search interfaces that drive you directly to the information most likely to pertain to your ancestors.”
Seniors and Aging
Cohen and Muskie Community Centers – Augusta Senior Spectrum Center for Kennebec County offers life-long learning opportunities, classes on healthy living and an ever changing calendar of fun recreational activities for all generations. Promoting life-long learning, health, wellness, nutrition, community engagement and social well-being of all older and disabled adults.
Miscellaneous Web Sites Related to Aging and Disabilities – posted by Senior Spectrum
Maine Legal Services for the Elderly – This group provides legal services for economically disadvantaged elderly (over 60), as well as educational material that is available on their website.
Lion’s Club Vision and Hearing Aid: Call the number listed on the website, and fill out an application for assistance with either eyeglasses of hearing aids. The Lion’s Club provides financial assistance through their Maine Lions Sight & Hearing Foundation.
Assisted Living In Maine.org: A resource for how to find assisted living sites in Maine, as well as laws, plans, finances regarding assisted living. They also list many other resources of use for elders.
Assisted Living in Maine.com: This website offers information and links to assisted living resources in Maine, including average monthly costs, location, what to expect, and how to navigate this major step as we age.
Health and Wellness Resources: A pdf of health resources from the US National Library of Medicine, including information on CDC resources, nutrition, staying active, and Medline.
Physical Wellness Toolkit: From the National Institutes of Health, strategies for maintaining and improving your health through activity and diet, as you age.
Your Healthiest Self: More resources from NIH about living healthfully, not only including nutrition and physical activity, but also disease prevention and healthy relationships, as well as keeping a healthy and safe environment.
Information on Medicare: This group of health insurance advisors at Medicareguide.com offers lots of accessible information on how to sign up for Medicare, and what the various options are. They have easy links to many Medicare pamphlets and brochures.
Dr. Shaw Memorial Library 